Many objects such as items of furniture (ie tables, chairs and benches) and white goods are supported at at least four points of contact with the ground or floor (e.g. using ground engaging means such as legs, feet or wheels). These objects are used in a wide range of situations and in many cases the surface on which the object is stood is uneven or not a perfectly flat plane. To prevent, for example, furniture from rocking on an uneven surface it is common for small tables or stools to use three legs since three points are sufficient to define a linear plane and therefore provide location of the object without rocking. However, there are many reasons why three legs are undesirable on many objects, particularly those having a quadrilateral shape in plan view such as square or rectangular topped tables where four legs are generally preferred, located towards each corner, with more than four legs occasionally being desired or even required for larger tables. The use of four or more legs of equal length, each rigidly attached to and supporting a flat table top restricts the feet of the table to lie in a flat plane, so they are unable to all contact the ground simultaneously when the surface is uneven. This causes the table to be unstable and rock, which is most noticeable in four-legged tables with small table tops.
There are numerous applications requiring a support mechanism that is uncomplicated and robust, but can have four or more legs which adapt to uneven surfaces to provide stability.